All Products Filed in Lighting

Thursday, October 20, 2011

For many years the T-2C remote has been a staple of the RTI product line and recently to ensure its compatibility with the latest generation of home electronics the company updated the unit to reflect the market's latest technologies.

The newly introduced T2-Cs+ from RTI is the latest generation T2-C handheld remote from the popular custom electronics manufacturer and it says some of the freshly added revisions to the remote include a 2.4-inch LCD touchscreen that offers users better image quality and an increased viewing angle, and 128MBs of flash memory along with a 532MHz CPU to bolster the unit's speed and performance.

In addition, RTI utilizes its dual-RF platform to enable the remote to work with traditional 433MHz one-way communication RF signals and the 2.4GHz ZigBee protocol for two-way communication with RTI control processors and third-party products such as music servers, lighting dimmers, HVAC thermostats and RSS feeds to provide users with weather updates, sports transactions and other news items.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Crestron has always been one of the most proactive manufacturers in the entire custom electronics industry and its new Cameo keypads takes the company's familiar keypad product and adds more versatility to this popular product line.

Recently the New Jersey-based company upgraded the Cameo line with new options that include wired and wireless connectivity through the use of its InfiNET EX wireless technologies; new button configurations, a choice of colors and new contemporary industrial designs. Crestron says with the newly added options custom electronics professionals will have more ways to meet their clients design and user interface requirements all through a line of products that are more affordable.

Highlighting the updates the company made to the Cameo products is its implementation of a split-button design that provides two additional buttons per keypad. Crestron says that dealers can utilize the extra buttons for functions such as multiroom audio system volume up/down or the up/down dimming of their lighting control systems. The keypads mount flush and they incorporate built-in Versiport control ports to support the connection of local devices, including Crestron's GLS Occupancy Sensors and Photocells; contact closures and other products that support the monitoring of lighting levels and other conditions.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

There are many people that under estimate the impact of how their homes' shades can be used to help manage energy, while adding natural light to a room during key points in the day.

Manufacturers such as Lutron however have devoted a lot of time, money and other resources to the topic. Lutron's newly released battery powered Sivoia QS cellular shades fill a need for a small, but growing amount of homeowners that are learning about the benefits of shade management. The shades took the company years to develop and they enter the shade market at price points that will enable a broader group of consumers to purchase the products than what was previously available.

The shades incorporate Lutron's Triathlon battery life technology, which it says helps the batteries to last up to three years. Lutron offers the shades in stand alone and automated versions, and they are available in a variety of sizes. In addition, the company offers the shades in a choice of fabrics and colors. With the shades homeowners can control the amount of light that enters their home at specific times and they can add a convenient means of privacy.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Home Automation, Inc. (HAI) is one of the most aggressive companies in the entire custom installation market. With a vast product line that covers many categories and a research and development (R&D) staff that consistently updates those products the company positions itself to dealers as a state-of-the-art company with affordable products.

Reinforcing its reputation in the market are product releases like its new Snap-Link USB for Windows with Access Control, Audio, Humidity and User Settings update. The solution (product number 1120) is a USB key that plugs into a PC to allow users to access their Hi-Fi 2 whole-house audio systems, as well as their access control systems, dehumidifier/humidifiers, and user settings that include irrigation and wake-up times.

The New Orleans-based company adds that homeowners can also control their lighting control systems, their security systems, their HVAC systems and IP surveillance cameras.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Anyone that doubts the impact that Apple has had on the custom electronics market is probably in denial about Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen's influence on rock-and-roll guitar playing.

New York-based VidaBox is one company that has fully embraced Apple's iPad and iPhone and the company's new LiivController and vAutomation 2.0 take advantage of the powerful Apple products to provide VidaBox consumers with a choice of easy-to-use solutions that control their home electronics systems.

The LiivController is a 4U-high unit that runs the company's vAutomation 2.0 software. The hardware and software allow homeowners to control everything from their TV cable and satellite boxes, to their multiroom audio and lighting control systems, and it has provisions to utilize IR, RS-232 and TCP/IP. The system is also designed to use Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch products to enable consumers to use their familiar Apple products to control their favorite home electronics.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Not resting on its laurels, Lutron has recently updated its brand new RadioRA 2 line of lighting and home control solutions.

The RadioRA 2 system can be setup by professional installers to wirelessly control and automate up to 200 devices, and homeowners can control their systems with their Apple iPads. Following the long Memorial Day weekend the Penn.-based manufacturer released several updates for the Radio RA 2 system that are headlined by the introduction of the system's new v4.2.10 programming software that now enables installers to activate functions in Lutron's seeTemp Thermostat to allow homeowners to set temperatures from their keypads and create temperature schedules. Lutron has also added support for its Sivoia QS wireless Venetian Blinds with Intelligent Tilt Alignment, as well as an expanded selection of non-system accessories and the ability to program phantom buttons to activate security full/flash mode, which eliminates the need for a VCRX interface.

Lutron has also updated its Home Control+ app with the release of version 3.1, which adds full functionality for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices, seeTemp Thermostat support, Venetian Blind support, Pico wireless control support, RadioRA 2, HomeWorks QS and HomeWorks system support.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Between the price of gas and the rising costs of electricity, natural gas and heating oil both homeowners and commercial property managers are literally under siege in these unstable economic times.

WattStopper has introduced two new daylighting sensors that provide installers a choice of two products they can offer their property management and owner clients. The LMLS-400 and LMLS-500 sensors can be used for switching or dimming and both products incorporate two-way IR transceivers for communications. The LMLS-400 features automatic commissioning for either switching or dimming, and it's designed for single-zone applications. The LMLS-500 is a multizone open-loop photosensor that can be mounted on a ceiling or in a light well of a skylight.

The products also include menu-based handheld wireless interfaces to support installers during the configuration process and WattStoppers says that installers can swap devices in the event of a system change or upgrade.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Since the initial debut of its g system a couple of years ago, Elan has been steadily bolstering the line with subsequent product releases to ensure its viability within the custom installation market.

The latest additions to the product line address the management side of control and automation, and Elan says the new products--the HC4 and HC8--can be used by installers for residential and light commercial installations. Elan says the two new controllers are built to facilitate easy installations, and they are designed to combine control, automation over a variety of electronics systems. The HC4 incorporates four ports, streaming audio capabilities, an on-screen display, IR, relays and sensing inputs. The HC8 offers eight serial ports, two audio streams, IR, relays and sense inputs. The HC8 also includes a 500GB hard drive that allows homeowners to store security video, photos, music and video.

With the introduction of these controllers, the g line of solutions now includes a choice of four, six, eight and 12 port models and control options that range from keypads and touchscreens, to Apple iPhones and iPads.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

From an economic perspective consumers are under siege. Unemployment remains high, the commodity market and weak value of the dollar are driving the cost of oil to near-record levels and in turn affecting the price of gas, food, airline travel and many other goods and services.

One way that consumers can ease their financial burden is through the implementation of energy savings products in their homes. Lutron's newly released RadioRA 2 is a system that installers can offer that provides energy savings opportunities through its ability to manage a home's consumption of electricity and other utilities. Adding to the conservation potential of the RadioRA 2 system is the just launched RadioRA 2 thermostat.

Lutron says its new thermostat features a three-part design that includes the seeTemp users interface, a wireless temperature sensor and an HVAC controller. As part of the RadioRA 2 system homeowners can control as much as 60 percent of their homes' energy use from a keypad, mobile device or Apple iPad.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Usually when some thinks about home control images of complicated remote controls and expensive, elaborate electronics come to mind. Waltham, Mass.-based ThinkFlood is trying to change that perception however with its second-generation RedEye Pro whole-house control system.

The company's latest control and automation system comes with eight dual-purpose 3.5mm IR ports, four contact-closure ports, two RS-232 ports, four USB ports an Ethernet (10/100) RJ-45 input and its 802.11b/g compatible. ThinkFlood says that with RedEye Pro installers can affordably outfit their clients' homes with a system that controls their lighting systems, garage doors, security systems, HVAC and audio/video gear.

ThinkFlood has also added Apple device compatibility to the product line with control interface apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The Mass.-based company says these apps can be customized by installers to meet the specific control needs of their clientele.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Honeywell is a large and diverse manufacturer that offers custom installers a variety of products. The latest custom electronics item from the Fortune 100 company supports its LYNX series of home security products.

The new LYNX Touch 7-inch control panel is the latest addition to the company's self-contained line of alarm products and it incorporates features such as Z-Wave interoperability to support installers' ability to integrate the security touchpanel into installations that also include remote controllable thermostats and lighting control systems. Honeywell says it engineered the LYNX Touch with easy-to-read icons and menu-driven prompts that help homeowners and installers navigate the configuration and operation of the unit.

Some of the other features built into the LYNX Touch product include a Family Message Center that allows household members to play and record messages to one another; speakerphone options and it's compatible with the company's Total Connect Remote Services to enable homeowners to remotely manage their homes' security systems from a Web browser and smart phone.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

It's been one of the most under publicized developments within the custom electronics industry, but now through recent announcements such as ihiji's new alliance with Control4 and ZigBee, the concept of remote services is becoming easier to implement for installers.

The Austin, Texas-based electronics services company says the new partnerships extend the ability of installers to reduce customer service costs, while increasing installers' recurring revenue streams through ihiji's new compatibility with Control4 control and automation systems, and ZigBee wireless devices.

Using the newly upgraded invision cloud-based, two-way communication remote monitoring and support system from ihiji, installers can monitor, revise and update their clients' electronics systems without having to pay third-party software licensing fees.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Lutron's history as an engineering innovator in the lighting category dates back to the late 1950s and now approximately 50 years from the point when the company first incorporated it's still innovating.

Recently the company announced that it was shipping its new HomeWorks QS home control system that it says provides custom electronics professionals with a solution that offers their clients energy savings and convenience, and technicians an easier system to setup, install and program. HomeWorks QS devices include occupancy and vacancy sensors that can be wall or ceiling mounted, dynamic keypads with touch interfaces, the upcoming seeTemp HVAC control solution, venetian blinds with separate lift and tilt controls, hybrid keypads that combine dimmers and keypads, adaptive dimmers, Pico wireless controls and plug-in appliance and dimming modules.

Lutron is also supporting its home control and automation system solution with a newly released $20 iPad app that allows homeowners to monitor and control their systems while home or away from home, and it allows them to access other system functions like its "green mode," which enables consumers to reduce light levels and turn-off unused appliances.

Monday, March 21, 2011

In most cases the words home control and automation aren't used in the same sentence with style, Vantage's latest product line however aims to change that.

Vantage's newly launched Axolute family of electrical products are engineered to be modular and compact, and the line includes wall switches, GFCIs, data/communications plates and power outlets. The Company says the products feature metal working designs from the Italian firm Bticino and the products, which are available in a variety of shapes incorporate finishes such as diamond-cut glass, leather, marble, slate, Corian, Allessi, stainless steel, and Swarovski Elements crystal.

Following the latest safety codes, Vantage says the products are UL Listed, and they can be used for other applications such as yachts and other luxury type of installations.

Monday, February 21, 2011

With the nation emerging out of a long recession consumers are once again looking at technologies that provide them with time saving conveniences and cost savings that impact their financial situations. Solutions like Powerline Control Systems' (PCS) new Mi Lightstyle home control & automation solutions are becoming increasingly important to installers that are looking to satisfy these new consumer demands for convenience and energy efficiency.

PCS says its latest home-electronics management products offer the same retrofit-friendly advantages of its Universal Powerline Bus (UPB) technology-based PulseWorx products with the added benefit of remote system management with devices like Apple's iPhone and iPad products.

According to the company, the solution is plug-and-play and PCS offers Mi LightStyle in packages that include free REST, Web services and Java SDK libraries to support its integration with third-party products.